Quick bail opening system for fishing reel

ABSTRACT

A spinning reel is disclosed and has a housing with a center shaft upon which a spool is mounted for holding a fishing line. A handle and gear train assembly are provided for rotatably driving a rotor which is coaxially mounted on the shaft. The rotor has bail ears upon which bail arms carrying a bail are mounted with the bail being movable between a closed retrieving position and an open casting position. A unique bail actuating mechanism is provided which rapidly moves the bail from the retrieving position to the casting position. The bail actuating mechanism has an overcenter spring apparatus which operates on one bail arm for holding the bail in the line retrieving position and, when manually moved beyond a certain point, drives the bail rapidly to the open casting position.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 820,579 filed Jan. 16, 1986,now U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,450 which is a continuation of application Ser.No. 568,746, filed Jan. 6, 1984 now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a spinning style fishing reel, and moreparticularly, relates to an apparatus for rapidly moving a bail from aline retrieving position to a line casting position.

2. Background of the Prior Art

It is well known in the prior art that in spinning style fishing reelsthe bail must be moved by hand from the retrieve position to the castposition. This is true even in the highly successful current models ofspinning reels having a self centering and anti-reverse mechanism suchas shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,208,020 invented by Richard L.Gifford and assigned to the common assignee of the present application.However, in such a spinning reel when the fisherman wants to cast theline he must use the hand that he normally uses to crank in the line topivot the bail to the cast position. Releasing the crank to pivot thebail loses some control of the line and increases the time in gettingoff the next cast.

Recently, some attempts have been made to solve the problem by providinga pivoted finger grip on the rotor with a lever engaging off-center onthe bail arm for leveraging the bail arm and bail from the retrieve tothe cast position. The apparatus required relocating the orientation ofthe self-centering cast position of the rotor out of alignment with themounting stem of the reel in order to get the clearance needed to pivotthe bail fully open and to avoid interference between the finger griplever and the stem. This system is convenient for a right-handed userbut is very awkward for lefthanders. The finger grip and its mounting isrelatively massive causing unbalance in the rotor. The finger grip ispivoted parallel to a tangent to the rotor and from one side only(somewhat cantilevered) which leads to breakage of the finger grip and,on occasion, binding of the finger grip. A torsion spring is used toprovide the biasing force, which torsion spring is subject to frequentfailure.

Another system on the market provides a pivoted finger grip foractuating the bail, which finger is pivoted about an axis generallyradially of the rotor. The pivot is short and due to the angle ofapplied force when used, is subject to breakage. The system alsonecessitates relocating the self-centering cast position of the rotoroffset from the axis of the stem with the same problem as describedabove, namely, it is fine for righthanders but unsuitable forlefthanders. Also torsion springs are used which are subject to frequentfailure.

A still third current device uses a massive finger grip pivoted on therotor about an axis parallel to a tangent to the rotor. The finger gripengages a cam pivoted on the bail ear and connected to the bail armthrough a link connection for pivoting the bail arm and bail. A linkconnection and the use of a torsion spring both result in a device thathas been less than satisfactory on the market. The massiveness of thedevice contributes to an unbalance of the rotor. The pivoting of thefinger grip is from one side only (cantilevered) which can cause thefinger grip to break off as well as to bind.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to spinning reels and to a mechanism that rapidlyand reliably pivots a bail from the retrieve position to the castposition without the problems of the prior art identified hereinabove.

The invention contemplates a very simple and smoothly operating devicehaving an overcenter compression spring arrangement which provides apositive, long lasting actuating force that is economical to manufactureand is trouble free in use. The overcenter spring arrangement can beused effectively with different types of actuators. Eliminating thetorsion spring has extended the life cycle of the quick cast reel manyfold. In one form the actuating trigger is pivoted at spaced pointswhich prevents breakage, eliminates canting of the trigger and guidesthe actuator without failure. The trigger pivot is forward or axial ofthe rotor which results in a short stroke with excellent leverage and iseasier to grasp and facilitates the finger sliding off the trigger afterthe bail is in the cast position.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a spinning stylefishing reel with a mechanism that is conveniently located on the reelfor easy engagement for rapid arming of a reel ready for casting.

It is another object of the invention to provide a bail actuatingmechanism that moves the bail from the retrieve position to the castposition with a simple flick of a finger.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism that canprovide a bail control that can be opened or closed with a simple flickof the finger.

A further object of the invention is a device that is compatible withmany currently manufactured reels and can be adapted thereto withoutmajor modifications or redesign.

A still further object of the invention is the use of an overcenterspring arrangement for positively moving the bail from the retrieveposition to the cast position.

Yet another object of the invention is the location of the quick openingmechanism such that it can be conveniently used by both lefthanded andrighthanded fishermen.

Another object of the invention is the elimination of the fragile linksand pivots associated therewith which contribute to binding and hang-upsof the presently available apparatus.

It will be clear that the quick opening mechanism with its inherentadvantages could be utilized employing overcenter springs or devicesother than the preferred overcenter spring means of this invention. Theinvention in any of the forms, whether the preferred or alternative, isapplicable to reels with either the rear mounted drag as shown or frontmounted drag (not shown).

The above and other and further objects and features will be morereadily understood by reference to the following detailed descriptionand the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a skirted style spinning reel containingone preferred form of the invention described herein;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view of a skirted style spinning reel containinganother preferred form of the invention described herein;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the skirted style spinningreel of FIg. 1 including the invention described herein;

FIG. 4 is an exploded elevational view of the details of the onepreferred form of the invention shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4a--4a of FIG.4;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the invention shown in FIG. 1 with the bailin the retrieve position with the remainder of the reel not shown;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the form of invention shown in FIG. 5with the remainder of the reel not shown;

FIG. 6(a) is a sectional view taken along the lines 6--6 of FIG. 5 withthe remainder of the reel not shown;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the invention shown in FIG. 5 only with thebail in the cast position with the remainder of the reel not shown;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view of the invention shown in FIG. 7 with thetrigger in a raised phantom line position which is the position of thetrigger for quick opening the bail and in the released solid lineposition of the trigger;

FIG. 9 is a partial exploded perspective view of the modified form ofinvention shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the modified form of the invention shownin FIGS. 2 and 9 with the remainder of the reel not shown;

FIG. 11 is an elevational sectional view of the modified form ofinvention shown in FIG. 10 with the remainder of the reel not shown; and

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the modified form of the invention shownin FIG. 10 only with the bail in the casting position with the remainderof the reel not shown.

DESCRIPTION OF BASIC STRUCTURE AND OPERATION OF FISHING REEL

A spinning reel 20 (FIGS. 1 and 3) or 20a (FIG. 2) has a housing 21which includes an integral gear case 23 (FIG. 3) over the opening ofwhich is secured a cover 22 as by screws 41. The housing has a stem 24which connects the housing to a shoe 25. The shoe 25 is used to attachthe reel to a fishing rod. The reel includes a crank assembly 26,mounted on the housing 21 and rotatable about a crank shaft hub 27 witha rotatable winding handle 28 for use by a fisherman with his right handfor line retrieval, while the rod (not shown) is being held by the lefthand. As is well known in the art, the handle 28 may be disposed on theother side of the housing 21 for accommodating the personal desires ofthe user.

Referring to FIG. 3 in particular, an axially mounted rotor 30 isprovided and is adapted to be rotated about the axis of a spool 31 asthe crank 28 is turned for line retrieval, with a fishing line 32 beingcaptured by a bail 34 passing over a line guide 36 as shown. Bail 34 andline guide 36 are mounted on bail axle arm 42 and bail hinge arm 43which arms 42,43 in turn are pivoted on bail ears 39 and 40. The bailears 39,40 are integral with the rotor 30 and rotate with rotor 30whereupon the line 32 is wound on the spool 31.

A screw 38 passes through bail arm 43 and is threaded in the bail ear 40and acts as the pivot for the bail arm 43. A bail arm post 402 whichwill be described in detail hereinafter and which is a part of theimproved structure constituting a portion of the present invention, issecured to the bail ear 39 and provides the pivot for the other bail arm42. The bail 34 which is connected to the bail arms 42,43 pivots withbail arms 42,43 about the axis of the screw 38 and bail arm post 402between an open casting position and a closed retrieving position. Aninternal mechanism causes the line spool 31 to reciprocate axially backand forth as the rotor 30 rotates winding the line 32 about the spool31; but as in spinning reels generally, the spool 31 does not rotateabout its central core axis, except as controllably permitted by theadjustable rear drag mechanism 46. Such permitted rotation of the spoolmay occur during line retrieval when an object on the terminal end ofthe line 32 exerts a force exceeding the friction setting of the drag,causing slippage and thereby preventing breaking the line 32. When thebail 34 is swung from the closed retrieve position to an open positionfor casting, the line 32 may freely pay out from the spool 31 over lip45. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the bail 34 is shown in the "closed", "retrieve",or "rewind" position. The line guide roller 36 is preferably rotatable,that is, it is preferably a miniature pulley to reduce the slidingfriction which might otherwise cause line wear.

The internal bail trip mechanism 340 can be any of the well known typeson the market, but as illustrated, includes a bail trip lever 342pivoted by screw 344 to the inside of the rotor 30 with a leg 346passing through a slot (not shown) in the cylindrical wall 348 of therotor which leg has a lever portion 350 disposed in the bail ear 40 inalignment with abutment 352 in the bail arm 43. The bail trip lever 342has a cam portion 354 which when the lever 342 is pivoted in onedirection, the cam moves from a positio wherein the end of the cam 354is in close proximity to the shaft 70, which is the bail open or castposition, to a second position wherein the cam 354 is along the innersurface of the cylindrical wall of the rotor, which is the bail closedor retrieve position. A torsion spring 356 is provided for holding thecam portion 354 of the trip lever 342 in close proximity to the innersurface of the cylindrical wall of the rotor so that it will not floparound freely as the rotor is rotated. A cam lug 74 is fixed on flange76 on the reel housing and is positioned in the rear of the rotor 30when the rotor is assembled with the reel housing. The cam lug 74 islocated radially inward of the trip lever such that when the bail 34 ismoved into the cast position the trip lever 342 is pivoted by theabutment 352 in the bail arm 43 so as to place the path of the camportion 354 such that interference with lug 74 prevents reverse rotationof the rotor 30. Forward rotation of the rotor 30 by the crank 28 sweepsthe cam portion of the trip lever 342 against the cam lug 74 whichpivots the trip lever 342 causing lever 350 to apply sufficient forceagainst abutment 352 to close the bail for line retrieval.

The bail 34 may be manually closed by using the same forefinger used toopen the bail 34 by urging the bail arm 42 forward past the overcenterposition.

In the overall arrangement of the reel the cover plate 22 is secured tothe gear case 23 by screws 41. Inside the gear case 23 is a gearassembly 50 that is rotatable by rotating the handle 28 about the hub27. The gear assembly 50, which includes the crank gear 69 and theoscillator pinion gear 68, which are integral with tubular shaft 62, andincludes an oscillator gear 52 which is rotatably mounted on stub shaft54, which may be part of the interior of the gear case 23 or securedseparately thereto. Gear 52 has a projecting lug 56 that fits into agroove (not shown) in oscillator slider 58. Rotation of the oscillatorgear 52 causes the slider 58 to slide forward and backward. Crank shaftgear assembly 50 has a tubular shaft 62 that is journal mounted inbearings 64 in bores (not shown) in gear case 23 and in a flange 65 onthe inside of the cover plate 22. The shaft 62 has an internal righthand thread that mates with a right hand thread 66a of shaft 66 on thecrank assembly 26 on one side and a left hand thread that mates withleft hand thread 66b when the shaft is placed on the opposite side ofthe reel. This dual threaded system enables the handle 28 on the reel tobe cranked either with the right hand or with the left hand, dependingon the side on which handle 28 is mounted. The open end of the shaft 62(the end in which the shaft 66 is not inserted) is closed off byinserting screw cap 67 on the end of the shaft either exterior of thecover 22 or exterior of the closed side of the gear case 23.

A pinion gear assembly 80 is forwardly rotatably journal mounted inbearing 81 that is mounted in the collar 29 on flange 76 of housing 21and secured therein by bearing retainer 82 which fits into groove 47 inthe collar 29. The assembly 80 has a forward shaft portion 83 withoppositely spaced flats 84 thereon, a central bore 85, a forwardthreaded portion 86 and a pinion gear 87 on the opposite end portion. Alarger gear 69 on shaft 62 engages pinion gear 87 causing the piniongear assembly 80 to rotate when the crank handle is rotated.

A center shaft 70 has a back or rear splined portion 71, undercut groove72, an intermediate flange or stop 73, and a front threaded portion 75.The shaft 70 slip fits through the central bore 85 in shaft 83 andextends into the gear case 23. The shaft 70 also fits through thealigned holes 77 in parallel plates 78 in oscillator slider 58. Specialclip 79 fits between the plates 78 and snaps into groove 72 in shaft 70locking the shaft 70 to the slider 58. Thus, when the slider 58oscillates back and forth the shaft 70 also moves back and forth withrespect to the forward flange 76 of the housing 20.

The rotor 30 is mounted on the forward threaded portion 86 of assembly80. The hole 88 in rotor 30 receives the shaft 83 with the flats 84mating with the flats 89 of the hole 88. The nut 90 is tightened on thethreaded portion 86 to secure the assembly 80 to the rotor 30. The spool31 fits over the end of shaft 70 and is retained against stop 73 in aconventional manner which may include fastening on thread 75 on theshaft 70. Thus, as the handle 28 turns the crank shaft 66, the gearassembly 50 causes the pinion assembly 80 to rotate which in turn causesthe rotor 30 to rotate. At the same time rotation of gear 52 by gear 68on gear assembly 50 causes the slider 58 to reciprocate back and forth,which causes the center shaft 70 to oscillate back and forth so thatline 32 can be wound during the retrieve mode in an orderly and uniformfashion on spool 31.

As shown in FIG. 3, a drag boss 115 is provided on the rear of thehousing 21 with a bore 117 extending through the rear wall of thehousing 21. The center shaft 70 has the splined rear portion 71extending through the bore 117 and into the boss 115. The rear drag 46is assembled in the drag boss 115. The inner surface of the boss is thebearing surface which radially supports the drag driver 118. The dragdriver 118 is comprised of a driver boss 119, a flange 120 and a pilotboss 121. The driver boss 119 has internal flats or splines 122 whichmate with the flats or spline 71 on the center shaft 70. A frictionwasher 124 is located between the flange 120 and the housing wall dragsurface (not shown) with the pilot boss 121 projecting through the dragboss 115 and having the outer end portion of the driver boss extendinginto the gear case 23. A second friction washer 126 is radiallypositioned by driver boss 119 on the outer side of the flange 120. Adrag stationary washer 127 encircles the driver boss 119 and isrestrained from rotating by engagement of its radially opposed lugs 159in the radially opposed internal keyways (not shown) on the boss 115. Aspring washer 128 encircles the driver boss 119 and applies pressure tothe friction washers, which pressure is varied by rotation of thethreaded adjustment sleeve 129 which mates with internal threads (notshown) on boss 115. A polygon or splined boss 132 on the adjustmentscrew 129 mates an internal polygon or spline (not shown) on drag knob131. Attachment of the drag knob 131 to the sleeve 129 is by a drag knobretainer screw 133. Rotation of the drag knob 131 is limited to oneturn, to prevent unintentional removal. The limited rotation is providedby a tang 134 on the periphery of the boss 115, which interruptsrotation by interference with a key 135 on the interior of the flange ondrag knob 131.

An anti-reverse self-centering structure 51 is provided in the gear case23 and includes a pawl 53 pivoted on the post 55 in the gear case 23with an actuating cam 57 on one end of the pawl in engaging alignmentwith a slide actuator button 59 on the cover plate 22. The pawl 53selectively engages the one way tooth 61 on the ratchet 63 which ratchetis keyed on the flats 84 on the pinion gear assembly 80. With the button59 on the cover 22 in the "on" position, the pawl 53 is pivoted intocontact with the tooth 61 on ratchet 63 to prevent reverse rotation ofthe rotor 30 and to self-center the rotor relative to the housing. Whenthe button 59 is in the "off" position the rotor can rotate in eitherdirection. The tooth 61 on the ratchet 63 is oriented such thatengagement of the pawl 53 with the tooth aligns the bail ears 39,40 andbail arms 42,43 along an axis parallel with the axis of the stem 24.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3-8, an apparatus 400 for rapidly opening thebail 34 for casting is shown and is operatively associated with the bailarm 42. Specifically, a bail arm post 402 has one end portion 404bounded on one end by an intermediate flange 405 and on its lower end byan extension 406. The end portion 404 extends through opening 411 in thebail arm 42 with flats 407 on the extension mating with flats 408 in theopening 409 in the bottom wall 410 of the bail ear 39. A screw 412 isthreaded from below bail ear 39 into a threaded opening 414 (FIG. 4) inthe end of the bail arm post 402 with the head of the screw overlappingthe bail ear 39 to retain the bail arm post 402 in a fixed orientationon the bail ear 39. The bail arm 42 has a circular offset projection 416which seats down into a mating semicircular part 418 of bail ear 39 suchthat the axial shoulder 420 of the bail arm 42 around projection 416rotatably rides on the upper face of the wall of the bail ear 39 withthe flange 405 on bail arm post 402 overlapping the upper surface of thebail arm. A fastening stud 422 on the upper end of the bail arm post 402engages with a spring member 424 to retain the spring on the post.

Between the bail arm 42 and the bail ear 39 is an overcenter apparatus426 which includes a front pivot post 428 having a guide rod 430 fixedthereon and extending in a direction transverse to a pivot 432. Thepivot 432 projects upwardly into pivoting relation in an opening 434 inthe undersurface of the bail arm 42. The opening 434, as shown in FIGS.5 and 6, is formed in the lower surface of the bail arm 42 and is offsetradially outwardly from the pivot center of the bail arm 42. A backpivot post 436 has a pivot 438 pivotally projecting into opening 440 inthe bottom wall 410 of the bail ear 39 and has a transverse opening 442extending therethrough in which opening the outer end portion of theguide rod 430 is slidably received. A compression spring 444 encirclesthe guide rod 430 and exerts a force against the front pivot post 428and against the bail arm 42 tending to rotate the bail arm 42counterclockwise about the bail arm post 402 (as viewed in FIG. 5).

A finger trigger 446 has a hollowed body portion 448 which providesspaced legs 450 which straddle the upper end portion of the baiL armpost 402. A pin 452 passes through openings 454 in the legs and throughan opening 456 in the bail arm post 402. The spring 424 bears againstthe under rear surface of the body portion 448 of the trigger to pivotthe finger grip portion 458 downward toward the bail arm 42. One leg 450of the body portion of the trigger has a depending actuating lug 460which seats in a cut out slot or groove 462 in the bail arm 42. In theretrieve position of the bail arm 42, FIG. 5, the lug 460 bears againstan abutment 463 at one end of the groove or slot 462. Cover plates 464are secured to the bail ears 39,40 by screws 466 which, in the case ofbail ear 42, serves to retain pivot post 436 seated in its opening inthe bail ear 39. The covers will also keep foreign matter out of thebail ears 39,40.

As is best illustrated in FIGS. 3, 5-8, with the bail 34 in the retrieveposition (FIGS. 5, 6), the handle 28 (FIG. 3) is rotated in reversewhich will engage the self-centering mechanism to align the bail ears39,40 and bail arms 42,43 on the rotor in a line parallel with the stem24. When it is desired to cast the line, the index finger of the handholding the rod is extended over the grip portion 458 of the trigger 446which index finger will also pick up the line 32. Upward movement of theend of the trigger will pivot the trigger 446 and lug 460, which lug 460will pivot the bail arm 42, bail 34 and bail arm 43 about the axis ofthe post 402 and screw 38 and will further start to compress the spring444. As the bail arm 42 pivots, the axis of the guide pin 430 willapproach a dead center position with the axis of the guide pinintersecting the pivot axis of the bail arm. Once the bail arm 42 ismoved to a position whereby the axis of the guide pin 430 is beyond deadcenter, the compressed force of the spring 444 will drive the bail arms42,43 and bail to the open, casting position. The trigger 446 will be inthe dotted line position of FIG. 8. The finger of the fisherman willslip off the end of the trigger 446, which trigger 446 will return toits down solid line position of FIG. 8. The line 32 will still be overthe index finger of the user, which can be used to control the cast.

When the cast has been made, the handle 28 is rotated for line retrievalwhich will rotate the rotor 30 and engage the lug 74 with the trip lever342 of the bail trip mechanism 340 to pivot the bail arms 42,43 and bail34 to the retrieve position ready to reel in the line.

Referring to the second preferred form shown in FIGS. 2, and 9-12, andin particular FIG. 9, a single horn member 470 is provided, which hornmember is a combination of the trigger and bail arm of the version ofthe invention shown in FIGS. 3-8. The horn member 470 serves as a bailarm 472 for mounting the one end of the bail 34 on the rotor and as afinger grip 474 extending outwardly beyond the plane of the bail. Aswill be noted in FIG. 10 the finger grip 474, when the bail is closed,is offset from the pivot axis of the bail arm 472. The housing 21, gearassembly 50, oscillating mechanism, rear drag 46 and self-centeringmechanism 51 described with respect to FIG. 3 is incorporated herein.The center shaft 70 is slidable and oscillatable in the pinion gearassembly 83 with the rotor 30 secured to the pinion gear assembly by nut90. The spool 31 is removably attached to the center shaft 70 with theskirt 92 encircling a forward part of cylindrical wall 348 of the rotor30. The internal bail trip mechanism 340 can be the same as wasdescribed hereinabove with respect to FIG. 3. The bail 34 may also bemanually closed by applying a forward pressure urging bail arm 472 torotate past the overcenter position using the same forefinger used toopen the bail 34.

The bail arm 472 is pivotally mounted on the bail ear 39 by screw 37passing through the bail arm and into the boss 473. The line guide 36 isrotatably mounted on the bail arm 472 by a screw 94 passing through thebail arm 472 and into the bail axle 96. The other bail arm 43 is pivotedto the bail ear 40 by screw 38 such that the bail 34 has a pivot axisabout the axis of the screws 37,38 between an open casting position anda closed retrieving position.

The overcenter apparatus 426 of FIGS. 3-8 is employed in this secondpreferred form and includes the front pivot post 428 having the guiderod 430 thereon slidably passing through opening 442 in the back pivotpost 436. The pivot 432 on post 428 pivots in an opening 435 in the bailarm 472 and the pivot 438 on post 436 pivots in opening 440 in the bailear 39. Compression spring 444 encircles guide 430 between posts 428 and436 to hold the bail 34 in the closed retrieve position. Opening 435 isoffcenter (FIG. 10) of the pivot axis of the bail arm 472 to provide theleverage for holding the bail closed. A shaped cover plate 98 is securedover the open portion of the bail ear 39 by screw 99 to retain pivotpost 436 in position in the bail ear and to prevent accumulation of dirtand the like in the bail ear.

With the bail 34 in the closed retrieve position and with theself-centering anti-reverse mechanism 51 operative, the crank 28 isrotated in reverse which will engage the self-centering pawl 53 with thetooth 61 on the ratchet 63. In the self-centered position, the rotor 30will be positioned with the bail ears 39,40 and bail arms 472,43 alignedalong an axis substantially parallel with the axis of the stem 24 whichwill position the finger grip 474 of the horn member 470 below and invertical alignment with the foot 25 and rod (not shown). A fishermanusing the hand that is holding the rod can extend the index finger to aposition below and slightly encircling the finger grip 474 which in theprocess may also pick-up the line extending out from the line guide 36.Now whenever the fisherman wants to cast the line he applies an upwardpull on the finger grip 474. The grip 474 is offset from the axis of thebail arm 472 and has a curved underside surface 475 configured so thatit tends to slide up the finger of the operator as the operator's fingerapplies the upward force on the grip surface 475, thereby tending topivot the bail arm 472 about the axis of screw 37. When the axis of theguide pin 430 and spring 444 passes from the position of FIG. 10 (bailclosed) past the common line extending from the rear post 436 throughthe axis of the pin 37, the compressive forces in the spring 444 willtake over and snap the bail arms 472,43 with bail 34 to the open castingposition (FIG. 12). The finger of the fisherman will be slipped off thefinger grip 474 but, if desired, will still have the line retainedthereover ready for casting the line.

When it is desired to retrieve the line, the crank is turned forwardwhich will start to rotate the rotor causing the cam surface 354 on bailtrip 340 to engage lug 74 to trip the bail 34 and return the bail to theclosed retrieve position.

We claim:
 1. In a spinning reel having a housing with a front and rearand having a stem and mounting shoe, a center shaft mounted in thehousing, a spool mounted on the shaft for holding a fishing line, ahandle and gear train assembly mounted in the housing, a rotor coaxiallymounted on the shaft and rotatable by cooperative movement of the handleand assembly, first and second bail ears carried by the rotor, first andsecond bail arms carried by the first and second bail ears respectively,and a movable bail mounted on the bail arms and having a closedretrieving position and an open casting position, the improvementcomprising a bail actuating mechanism for moving the bail from theretrieving position to the casting position comprising:(a) first andsecond pivot means for pivotally supporting the respective first andsecond bail arms on the bail ears; (b) first post means pivotallymounted on the first bail ear in spaced apart relation to the firstpivot means; (c) second post means pivotally mounted on the first bailarm at a point offset laterally from the first pivot means; (d) a guidemeans carried by one post means and being slidably received in the otherpost means; (e) biasing means on the guide means for urging the firstpost means away from the second post means and for holding the baileither in the retrieving position or in the casting position; and (f)trigger means operatively associated with the first bail arm forpivoting the bail arm from the retrieving position toward the castingposition whereby movement of the trigger means moves the guide means andbiasing means from one side of a line passing through the first postmeans and the first pivot means to the other side of that line whereuponthe biasing means drives the bail arms and bail into the casingposition, said trigger means including an elongate arm supported incantilever fashion from said first bail arm so that the length of thetrigger arm is aligned generally in a fore and aft direction with thebail in the retrieving position, said arm on the trigger means extendingforwardly beyond the bail and second bail arm with the bail in aretrieving position so that the trigger means arm is readily accessibleto be grasped by a user and wherein pivoting the trigger means and firstbail arm beyond the line joining the pivot means for the first bail armand the first post means will permit the biasing means to drive the bailinto the open casting position, said trigger means arm further having aconcave surface opening towards the centershaft axis to be engaged bythe finger of a user in operating the trigger means.
 2. In a spinningreel as claimed in claim 1 wherein said trigger means arm is integralwith said first bail arm and substantially rigid.
 3. In a spinning reelas claimed in claim 1 wherein there is a generally cylindrical lineguide having a central axis and the trigger means arm surface rsidesbetween the line guide axis and the rotational axis of the rotor.
 4. Ina spinning reel having a housing with a front and rear and means formounting the housing to a fishing rod, a center shaft mounted in thehousing, a spool mounted on the shaft for holding a fishing line, ahandle and gear train assembly mounted in the housing, a rotor coaxiallymounted on the shaft and rotatable by cooperative movement of the handleand assembly, first and second bail ears carried by the rotor, first andsecond bail arms carried by the first and second bail ears respectively,a movable bail mounted on the bail arms and movable with the bail armsbetween a closed retrieving position and an open casting position, andmeans for biasing the bail arms and bail into each of the retrieving andcasting positions, the improvement comprising a trigger for moving thebail from the retrieving position to the casting position, said triggercomprising:an elongate arm supported in cantilever fashion from saidfirst bail arm so that length of the trigger arm is aligned generally ina fore and aft direction with the bail in the retrieving position, saidarm on the trigger extending forwardly beyond the bail with the bail ina retrieving position so that the arm is readily graspable by a user,said trigger arm further having a curved surface facing the centershaftaxis to be engaged by the finger of a user in operating the trigger tourge the trigger so that the bail arms and bail move from saidretrieving position toward said casting position sufficiently that thebiasing means moves the bail arms and bail into the casting position. 5.A spinning reel as claimed in claim 4 wherein said trigger and the firstbail arm comprise a single piece.
 6. A spinning reel as claimed in claim4 wherein said trigger surface is concave opening towards said spool. 7.A spinning reel as claimed in claim 4 wherein there is a generallycylindrical line guide having a central axis and the trigger arm surfaceresides between the line guide axis and the rotational axis of therotor.